Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I was thinking. I read in my Survival Guide Book that cheese uses rennet to make cheese with. Rennet is very powerful stuff I suppose and it comes from the stomachs of all baby mammals. That's why baby puke and probably early poops, look like cottage cheese. Because it is. Because of the rennet. The book says that much of the rennet used today comes from veal. But what about back in the day? What about people who made cheese but couldn't afford to kill their only baby calf? Do they use baby squirrels or bunnies? Do you know what I would use? Baby puke. They say that rennet is powerful stuff and you only need a teaspoon, so it seems to me that some diluted rennet in baby puke would work just as good. Also, I've had baby puke in my mouth from more than one baby and it wasn't as gross as you think.

Before I read this book and wrote that above paragraph, I really liked the name Rennet for my next baby girl. I'm going to think carefully on that choice. BUT it is better than Sue Diligence.

My oldest friend's older brother his here now with a tractor. He and my dad are pulling cement blocks from the patio. Big ones...5 ft by 5ft pieces. It's a long story as to why, but it involves a large mistake by Elmer's cement company in Traverse City. I don't suggest them. Anyways, Lilly is fascinated! That's why I can write this...she is busy sitting and watching it happen through the sliding glass door. She has only ever sat this still for this long before when she was sleeping.

Agh. They got the cement loose and pulled it away to the back with the Hops. Now Lilly has found not only me, but something better...my laptop.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Well, it's raining, again. Josh got stuck in the driveway this morning with my truck! My dad said next time he should put it in four wheel drive. I laughed. Like my truck has 4x drive. So silly.

The driveway is now a 1/2 mile long puddle of mud.

Nathan came home last week or so to visit and to do some training at work. (Now he lives in Germany). He helped my dad start a Hop Farm in the back pasture. I think my dad has about 30 plants now. He is also repaving the cement pad outside the garage and the patio. He is breaking up the old cement and using his skidster to drag the cement blocks to make mini-patios out back by the Hops so that we can sit out there and watch the hops grow. Hops are used to brew beer. He is brewing beer today too, actually. It's his first lone brew. Normally, Nick, my brother in law and family brew-master comes and helps him.

Life is different here than in Nashville. It is much more routine actually and peaceful. Yesterday during the bigger rainstorm (all day long rain rain rain), each family member drove into Fremont at separate times. Even my mother! She usually leaves to Fremont once a month. We all went to the library at different times for different reasons too. And then two other people drove down to see us. Good thing no one was swimming naked out front, with so much activity going on. It's a big deal when someone makes to the end of the driveway and rings the doorbell. Which this reminds me of what I wanted to say:

Yesterday, I was in the living room and Lilly was crying for a nap/wanted a change/was stuck like a rat in a cage/or something, and my mom's cell phone rang. At our house, when the phone rings, everyone stands up and runs around yelling "The phone is ringing! The phone is ringing!" Now that we have separate cell phones, you have to yell the name of the person who's phone is ringing too. This is because usually the person is away from the phone and can't hear it, and you have to yell so they can hear you sooner and come running. Also, my parents are hard of hearing...so it's important to yell very loud. So I was yelling "Mom!!! YOUR PHONE IS RINGING!" because she was in her sewing room with the door closed sewing. And as I was yelling that and trying to get to Lilly, the doorbell rang!!! And not just any doorbell, but the one by the door Josh and I use. So this means it's a new person who has never been here before. It's the old front door and not used anymore. That's why Josh and I get it. So I also had to yell that the doorbell was ringing and that someone was here! "SOMEONE"S HERE!!!" We yell that much the same way as when the phone is ringing. I ran to answer the door, and it was a young kid my age. He said "Hi, I'm here with the power yada yada yada put the sticker on the kuboda and switch the battery wires." And I was all, okay. And thought it was weird that the meter reader would knock on the door to tell me about putting a sticker on teh kuboda. And what the hell is a kuboda for that matter? It must be the little metal box that houses the meter.

Then I went back inside and my mom asked me if the lawn mower man came. Whhhaaattt? It was my dad who called...at the exact moment the guy rang the door bell...to tell us he was coming to put a sticker on his lawn mower, a Kuboda. And it all made sense. My mom had to run out there and find him to show him where the lawn mower was. I guess that's what he was expecting me to do when he rang the door bell and I answered, but I just thought he was the meter reader and shut the door on him.

Monday's are errand days and I can do all of my errands, stopping at 3 to 4 stores, and never leave Main Street. Everything is on one road! It blows my mind. I like to go to Walgreens b/c it's the only place that reminds me of Nashville, only this one is cleaner, newer and bigger. And the people are small town people and are nice. It's like they stuck small town nice people who know everyone into a big city store. This is a good thing b/c they have no problems telling you how to bend the rules and use the most coupons to save money. Very little corporate loyalty b/c the corporate part of Walgreens doesn't cater to the small towns.